The present invention relates to support brackets, and in particular a support bracket for supporting a multiple position armrest for a reclining seat.
Many chairs and seats are designed to permit some degree of reclining in order to provide additional comfort for the user. The mechanisms which permit reclining in these chairs and seats vary from the extremely complex to the very simple. For example, executive office chairs are often provided with a relatively simple reclining mechanism comprising a spring-loaded hinge located just under the seat bottom so that the seat bottom, armrests and seat back can be tilted back together. An example of a very complex reclining mechanism is that provided for reclining easy chairs. In a reclining easy chair the reclining mechanism usually acts to move the seat back, the seat bottom, the armrests and even a foot rest to various different positions relative to one another in order to provide the most comfortable support for each reclining level.
One of the simplest types of reclining seats is one where the seat back portion is designed so that it may be tilted back while the seat bottom remains stationary. These types of seats are found, for example, in airplanes, buses, automobiles and recreational vehicles. The seat backs of these seats are usually mounted on a hinge located just to the rear of the seat bottom. Further, these seat backs can usually be adjusted and secured in a wide range of angles with respect to the seat bottom. When an armrest is provided for this type of seat, the armrest is often mounted independently of the reclining seat back so that its position is not affected by adjustment of the seat back.
However, under some circumstances, for example in recreational vehicles, it has been found to be desirable to attach the armrests directly to the reclinable seat back frame. Usually, when the seat back is in an upright position, it is desirable to have the armrest extend at slightly less than 90.degree. from the seat back itself, or such that the armrest is approximately parallel to the seat bottom of the seat. When the seat back is reclined, however, the seat back mounted arms will extend upwardly and if the seat back is reclined far enough, the arms will be in an unusable position. For this reason, it is desirable to provide armrests which can be adjusted to different angles with respect to the seat back to accommodate different reclining positions.
FIG. 3 of the drawings of this application shows an example of a prior art armrest bracket and a pivoting armrest support member. The bracket provided for the armrest support element shown in FIG. 3, however, only includes two usable positions for the armrest. The first position is at an angle of slightly less than 90.degree. with the seat back. The second position is a stow-away position where the armrest is aligned approximately parallel to the seat back itself. As indicated previously, it is desirable to provide for at least one additional armrest position so that the armrest can be used comfortably in a reclining position.